Thoughts on Colossians 2:1-5
Paul: – I want you to know …
– I struggle for you to know … Christ
resulting in: – hearts encouraged & knit together in love
– attain full riches of assurance & understanding
– and knowledge of God’s mystery (Gospel) which is Christ
– no one can delude with false teaching
Seems like a model goal for fathers, elders, and pastors.
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All wonderfully reaffirming points, Dad.
Thanks for sharing. Sage words.
..”being knit together in love” – makes me think of Psalm 139:13, “you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.”-
Jesus the Maker and the re- Maker as we are born again, not just as individuals for him but also for each other.
The message of Colossians is one greatly needed today. Just as in Paul’s day there are many voices telling us that we need something more than Jesus Christ – some exciting experience, some new doctrine, some addition to our spiritual experience. Not so, says Paul. All we need is to put into practice what we already have. “For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete…” (Col. 2:10). Grandpa Tom
May 5th – For those who are reading Colossians:
Where is Colossae?
It is one of three cities (?) located about 100 miles inland from Ephesus. The other two are Laodicea and Hierapolis (Col. 4:13, 16). Laodices is a few miles northwest of Colossae; Hieerapolis is about 5 miles north of Laodicea. Judy and I visited all three when we were in Turkey a few years ago. That is why the question mark appears above. Only Laodices today has any real size.
The area was a meeting point of East and West for an important trade route passed through that area. At one time all three were growing and prosperous, but gradually Colossae slipped to a second-rate position. It was a small town even in Paul’s day, yet the church there was important enough to get his attention.
All kinds of philosophies were mingled in this cosmopolitan area, and religious hucksters abounded. In Paul’s day there was a rather large Jewish colony in Colossae, and a constant influx of new ideas and teaching from the East. It was fertile ground for religious speculations and heresies.
Next time I will include something of the Church there. Grandpa Tom
Was there really a letter to be read from Laodicea (4:16)? Some suggest that the letter from Laodicea may be the Book of Ephesians, because that letter was circulated to all the churches in Asia Minor. But it is possible that there was a special letter to the Laodiceans, of which we have no record today. Paul wrote several letters that have been lost (see for example II Cor. 2:3). The letter referred to there is not I Cor, but another to which he refers again in 7:8. The letter that was received between the writing of the tow books to the Corinthians was apparently lost. TW
I agree with Dad’s comment (1st above). Verse 2:6 “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord (by exercising faith, belief), so walk in him (continuing in faith/belief). This is the application of the gospel to our daily continuing lives.
I’ve enjoyed reading these posts, especially the history lessons in Colossae.
May 7, 2013 For those reading Colossians
How did the church there begin?
Were it not for the church in Colossae that town would not have appeared in the Bible. It is not mentioned in the Book of Acts. Paul did not visit it nor found the church there. He had merely heard if their faith (Col, 1:4, 9; 2:1)
The church no doubt has its beginning from the outgrowth of Paul’s 3 year ministry in Ephesus (Acts 19; 20: 17-38). So effective was that ministry in Ephesus “all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia (modern day Turkey) heard the word of the Lord” (Acts 19:10). That would include Colossae, Laoddicea, and Hierapolis. Two of those who came to believe, whether in Ephesus or elsewhere, were Epaphras and Philemon of Colossae. Epaphras was a key founder of the church, for he shared the gospel with his friends (Col. 1:7). It appears that he also had a ministry in Laodicea and Hierapolis (Co. 4:12-13).
Later Philemon had a church meeting in his house (Phile. 2). It is likely that Apphia was his wife. Archippus may have been their son, in any event, he was a leader in the church, perhaps its pastor (Col. 4:17).
A reading of Paul’s prison and noting the people involved will help us understand how the church was founded. It was in the Roman prison that Paul met Onesimus, Philemon’s run-away slave and led him faith in Christ. It was on the occasion of returning this slave to his master that wrote to Philemon. In that letter he also addresses Apphia and Archippus. He also mentions that Epaphras is still with him (Phile, 23).
For some reason Epaphras visited Paul in the Roman prison and while there told him of the Colossian heresy. It may be because of the controversy that he went to Paul for advice. It was this that prompted Paul to write this letter to the church there.
Next time we will examine the crisis at Colossae.
May 7, 2013 For those reading Colossians
What was the crisis that caused Epaphras to go visit Paul in the Roman prison? It was a mixture of Eastern philosophy and Jewish legalism with elements of what Bible scholars call Gnosticism (NOS-ti-cism). The term comes from the Greek word gnosis (KNOW-sis) which means “to know.” Thus, an agnostic is one who does not know. The Gnostics were men who claimed to be “in the know” when it came to the “deep” things of God.
To begin with, this heresy promised people such a close union with God that they would gain “spiritual perfection.” However, this spiritual perfection could be theirs only if they embraced the teachings and ceremonies prescribed. There was also a “full knowledge,” a spiritual depth that only those who embraced these teachings and ceremonies could enjoy. This “wisdom” would release them from earthly things and put them in touch with heavenly things.
Of course all this teaching was but man-made ideas based on tradition and not on divine truth and Paul says so (Col. 2:8). It grew out of the philosophical question, Why is there evil in the world, if creation is from the hand of a holy God? As they pondered this, they came to the false conclusion that matter is evil. Their next false conclusion is that a holy God could not come into contact with evil matter, so there must be a series of “emanations” from God to His creation. They believed in a powerful spirit who used material things to attack mankind. They also held to a form of astrology, believing that angelic beings ruled heavenly bodies and influenced affairs on earth. All this Paul refutes (Col. 1:16 ; 2:10, 15).
Added to these Eastern speculations was a form of Jewish legalism. The religious leaders believed that the rite of circumcision was helpful for spiritual development, which Paul refutes (Col. 2:11). They also taught that the O. T. Law, especially the dietary laws were also useful in attaining spiritual perfection. Again Paul refutes their beliefs (Col. 2:14-17). Definite rules and regulations told them what was evil and what was good (Col. 2:21).
Since to them matter was evil, they had to find some way to control their own human nature in this pursuit of perfection. Two different practices resulted. One school of thought held that the only way to conquer evil matter was by means of rigid discipline and asceticism (Col. 2:23). The other view taught that it was permissible to engage in all kinds of sin, since matter was evil anyway. It appears that the first opinion was predominant in Colossae.
Next we will seek to understand how this kind of teaching undermines the Christian faith.
May 9, 2013 For those reading Colossians:
It is easy to see how this kind of teaching undermines the very foundation of the Christian faith. To begin with, these heretics attacked the Person and Work of Jesus Christ. To them, He was merely one of God’s many “emanations” and not the very Son of God, come in the flesh. The Incarnation means “God with us” (Matt.1:23), but these false teachers claimed that God was keeping His distance from us! When we trust the Son of God, there is no need for intermediary being between us and heaven!
In His work on the cross, Jesus Christ settled the sin question (Col. 1:20) and completely defeated all satanic forces (2:15). He put an end to the legal demands of the Law (2:14-17). In fact, Christ alone is the Preeminent One! (1:15, 3:11) All that the believer needs is Jesus.
Matter is not evil, and the human body is not evil. Each person is born with a fallen human nature that wants to control the body and use it for sinful purposes; but the body itself is not evil. If that were the case, Jesus would never have come to earth in a human body. Nor would He have enjoyed the everyday blessings of life as He ministered on earth. Diets and disciplines can be good for one’s health, but they have no power to develop true spirituality (Col. 2:20-23).
As for astrology and the influence of angels and heavenly bodies, Paul denounced this with vigor. On the cross, Jesus won a complete victory over all satanic powers (2:13). As Christians, we do not need to turn to the basic principles of this world (2:8, 20). In this case, those basic principles refer to the beings that (according to the Gnostics) controlled event on earth. Believers who consult horoscopes substitute superstition for revelation and deny the Person and work of Christ.
As was said earlier, these false teachings were a deceptive combination of many things, they even contained a touch of Christianity. There was something for everyone, and this what made it so dangerous. These false teachers claimed that they were not denying the Christian faith, but only lifting it to a higher level. It offered fullness and freedom, a satisfying life that solved all the problems that people face.
Do we have any of this kind of heresy today? Yes, we do; and it is just as deceptive and dangerous! When we make Jesus Christ and biblical revelation only a part of a total religious system or philosophy, we cease to give Him preeminence. When we strive for “spiritual perfection” or “spiritual fullness” by means of formulas, disciplines, or rituals, we go backward instead of forward. Christian believers must beware of mixing their Christian faith with such alluring things as yoga, transcendental meditation, Oriental mysticism, and the like. We must beware of “deeper life” teachers who offer a system for victory and fullness that bypasses or adds to the biblical teachings. All such seek to change people from the outside, not from the inside. In all thing Christ must be preeminent!
With this background, we can now begin to examine Paul’s letter to the Colossians.
There is also an attack on our faith from secular science these days. It seems that the more science claims to prove, the more we are supposed to take certain scripture with a grain of salt. That is to say that the claims of modern science have been raised to such a level of importance and revered so greatly, that even Christians are giving them the final say on some things which would seem a little far fetched. Whether or not God created the world in six days, etc. It would seem to me that this line of reasoning (my bible teacher in high school called this kind of fallacy “reason over revelation”) is intended by evil to eventually undermine our faith in the resurrection of our Savior.
Philosophy is how one looks at life,
rugsthus secular scientists are expressing their philosophy.The word is not rugs, but thus, sorry
Is anyone reading this?????
I am enjoying this and check it once a night. I try not to clog the blog for other people with too many of my own comments but am looking forward to your examination of the letter. Your introduction was very helpful.
We have a joke in my family with my Mom and Dad from a visit we had a year ago. My son, Josef, was catching himself nodding off next to me during the adult sunday school which my dad was teaching. After most of the lesson time was over, but what probably seemed like an hour for poor Joe, my Dad closes his exposition of the introductory greeting of the epistle he was beginning to teach as a series. All Joe heard was something about the end of the introduction and whispers worriedly “that was just the introduction?” (thinking my dad was just getting started with the lesson.) So now any time there is a set up of real substance to a sermon (which my Dad is known to do), or if we’re near the end of a sermon, or if we go long in devotions, we’ll say to each other “that was just the introduction”.
Thats all to say, this is much appreciated.
I am. The false teachings experienced both today and in Paul’s day are a sobering reminder of the evil that is so rampant and how very important discernment is in differentiating between what appears to be right and what is actually right according the precepts and principles that are threaded throughout the scripture.
May 16th For those reading Colossians
A suggested outline:
Theme: Jesus Christ is Preeminent (1:18)
I. Doctrine: Christ’s Preeminence Declared – Chapter I
1. In the gospel message – 1:1-12
2. In redemption-1:13-14
3. In creation – 1:15-17
4.In the church – 1:18-23
5. In Paul’s ministry – 1:24-29
II. Danger: Christ’s Preeminence Defended – Chapter 2
1. Beware of empty philosophies – 2:1-10
2. Beware of religious legalism – 2:11-17
3. Beware of man-made disciplines – 2:18-23
III. Duty: Christ’s Preeminence Demonstrated – Chapters 3 and 4
1. In personal purity – 3:1-11
2. In Christian fellowship – 3:12-17
3. In the home – 3:18-21
4. In daily work – 3:22-4:1
5. In Christian witness – 4:2-6
6. In Christian service – 4:7-18
Of course there may be ways in which the Book may be analyzed and outlined and no outline should take the place of the Word itself.
In the above outline, however, we see how Paul approached this problem and tried to solve it. He did not begin by attacking the false teachers and their doctrines. He began by exalting Jesus Christ and showing His preeminence in five areas: the gospel message, redemption, creation, the church, and in his own ministry. The people to whom he was writing had become believers because of the gospel message given them by Epaphras. If the message was wrong, then they were not saved at all.
Once he had established the Preeminence of Christ, then Paul attacked the heretics on their own ground. In Chapter 2, Paul exposed the false origin of their teachings and showed how their teachings contradicted everything Paul taught about Jesus Christ. The believer who masters this chapter is not likely to be led astray by some alluring and enticing “new and improved brand of Christianity.”
But Paul did not think his task completed when he had refuted the heretics, for he still had some important words for the church. In Chapters 3 and 4 , Paul explained the greatest antidote to false teaching – a godly life. Those who say, “I don’t care what you believe, so long as you live a good life” are not thinking logically. What we believe determines how we behave. If we believe that matter is evil, we will use our bodies one way, but if we believe that our bodies are the temple of Holy Spirit, we will live accordingly.
Wrong doctrine always lead to wrong living. Right doctrine should lead to right living. In the two concluding chapters, Paul applied the preeminence of Christ to the daily affairs of life. If Christ is preeminent in our lives, then we will glorify Him by keeping pure, by enjoying fellowship with other saints, by loving each other at home and being faithful at work, and by seeking to witness for Christ and serve Him effectively. Unless doctrine leads to duty, it is of no use to us.
The church today desperately needs the message of Colossians. We live in a day when religious toleration is interpreted to mean “one religion is just as good as another.” Some try to take the best from various religious systems and manufacture their own private religion and then teach it to others. To them Jesus Christ is only one of several great religions teachers with no more authority than they. Thus, they deny the preeminence of Christ.
As we study Colossians let us keep this outline in mind.
I am reading these comments, Grandpa Tom, and I value your insight into the book of Colossians.
Your outline is very clear, thank you. Reinforcing your point of doctrine leading duty: 1,2,&3 John also teaches that truth orders goodness. (By the way,his fellowship is also in the truth-2John 1:1, 3John 1:1) Love is the command which orders Gods commandments. Its not a new command to love one another- 1 John 2:7, 2John 1:5,6 – to your point that we don’t need some new religion, or I might add, a “nuanced” or mis-emphasized doctrine of scripture for our day in order to reinvigorate the church. Its more likely that we aren’t understanding God’s word properly in Christ to obey the way we should.
May 18, 2013 For those reading Colossians:
I. Paul, an apostle (Col. 1:1-2) Paul declares that he is an apostle “by the will of God.” That is, he was appointed; this was not just a matter of his own personal desire. Paul often found it necessary to defend his apostleship because he was not one of those originally chosen. That was especially true in Corinth. “Apostle” in the technical has reference to one personally appointed by Christ (Matt. 10:1-16), to govern the early church, and to teach or write with authority. In nontechnical sense it means a messenger or representative.
Timothy was a native of Lystra, a Roman colony in the province of Galatia. He was the son of a mixed marriage, his father a Gentile, his mother a Jew (Acts 16:1). His mother Eunice along with his grandmother Lois were probably converted when Paul ministered in Lystra (Acts 16:1). Timothy was Paul’s traveling companion on his 2nd and 3rd missionary journeys.
II. Thanksgiving and Prayer (Col. 1:3-4) Paul was a great encourager, and this epistle is a good example. Verses 3-8 in the original Greek is one long sentence. He begins by giving thanks for what Christ has done in the lives of the Colossian Christians. But he also mentions thanksgiving in 5 other places in this letter: 1:12; 2:7; 3:15, 17; and 4:2. When we recall that Paul wrote this letter in prison, his attitude of thanksgiving is really amazing. Like Paul, we too ought to grateful that God continues His work in us and others.
In this expression of thanksgiving, Paul traced the stages in the spiritual experience of the Colossian believers.
A. They Heard the Gospel (Col. 1:5b-7) The good news of the gospel was not native to their city. It had to be brought to them; and in their case, Epaphras was the messenger. He himself citizen of Colossae (4:12-13), but he had come into contact with Paul and had been converted. That probably happened during Paul’s three-year ministry in Ephesus (Acts 19:10).
Once Epaphras had been saved, he shared the good news with his family and friends back home. It might have been exciting for Epaphras to remain with Paul, for exciting things were happening. But he felt that his first responsibility was to take the good news to his home city.
We can learn a lesson from him. In our witnessing, we should remember the good new of the Gospel. (See I Corinthians 15:1-8.) In this section of his letter to the Colossians, Paul reviews the characteristics of this exciting gospel message
1. It centers in a Person – Jesus Christ. The theme of this epistle is the preeminence of Christ and He certainly is preeminent in the gospel. The false teachers who had invaded this fellowship were trying to remove Christ from His place of preeminence; but to do that would destroy the gospel. The gospel does not center in a philosophy, a doctrine, or a religious system. It centers in Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
Everybody has faith in something. But faith is only as good as its object The jungle pagan worships a god of wood or stone; the educated city pagan worships money, possessions, status, etc. In both cases, faith is empty
2. It is the message of God’s grace (1:6b). Two words in the Christian vocabulary are often confused: grace and mercy. God in His grace gives me what I do not deserve. Yet God in His mercy does not give me what I deserve. Grace is God’s favor shown to undeserving sinners. The reason the gospel is good news is because of grace: God is willing and able to save all who will trust in Jesus Christ.
3. It is for the whole world (1:6). “For the grace of God has appeared to all men” (Titus 2:11). God gave a gift that is suitable for the whole world (John 3:16). Think of all the gifts one might receive and you will discover that it is the only gift suitable to all. Paul said that the gospel was bearing fruit in all the world. The word of God is the only seed that can be planted anywhere in the world, and it will bear fruit. False teachers do not take their message to the world. They go where the gospel has already gone and try to lead believers astray. If people are to be saved, they must hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. And if they are to hear, we who are saved must carry that message to them, Are we doing our part?
B. They Believed in Jesus Christ (Col 1:4).
The characteristic of false teachers coming where the gospel has already taken root is interesting. They are not motivated by the exciting news of the gospel. They are excited about getting attention focused on themselves.
May 23, 2013 For those reading Colossians:
B. They not only heard the gospel, they believed in Jesus Christ (Col. 1:4).
It is possible to hear and yet not believe, even though the Word of God has the power to generate faith in those who hear (Rom. 10:17). A great many people have heard the good news of salvation and yet not believed. But those who believe in Jesus Christ receive from God the gift of eternal life. (Jn. 3:14-18).
We are not saved by faith in faith. There is a cult of “believism” today that teaches, if you believe, you are safe. But the obvious question is “Believe in what?” Their answer is,”just believe!”
Nor are we saved by faith in a set of doctrines, good as they may be. Evangelist George Whitefield once asked a man, “What do you believe.” The man replied, “I believe what my church believes.”
“And what does your church believe?” asked the evangelist. “What I believe,” the man responded.
Undaunted, Whitefield tried again and asked, “And what do you both believe?” “Why, we both believe the same thing,” was the man’s evasive reply.
Saving faith involves the mind, the emotions, and the will energized by the Holy Spirit. With the mind we understand the truth of the gospel, and with the heart we feel conviction of the need to be saved. But it is only when we exercise the will and commit ourselves to Christ that the process is complete. Faith is not a mental assent to a body of doctrines, no matter how true those doctrines may be. Faith is not an emotional concern. Faith is a commitment to Jesus Christ.
When missionary John G. Patton was translating the Bible in the Outer Hebrides, he searched for a word to translate “believe.” Finally, he discovered it: the word meant “lean your whole weight upon.” That is what saving faith is – leaning your whole weight on Jesus Christ.
Saving faith is grounded in the gospel (Col. 1:23). It is the Word of God that that gives us the assurance. As we grow in the Lord, our faith becomes “firm” (2:5) and is “strengthened 2:7).
The false teachers who had come to Colossae tried to undermine the saints faith in Christ and the Word. The same kind of undermining goes on today. Any religious teaching that dethrones Jesus Christ, or makes salvation other than an experience of God’s grace through faith is anti-christian and of Satan.
The experience of the believers in Colossae was so wonderful that people talked about it! Paul heard about it from Epaphras; the false teachers heard about it and decided to visit the Colossian assembly to see this remarkable change for themselves.
One cannot keep silent once they have experienced salvation in Jesus Christ. Are we telling others about our experience? If we are we may expect the unsaved to take note and oppose us.
C. They Were Discipled (Col. 1:7).
May 24, 2013 For those reading Colossians:
The believers at Colossae not only heard the Word and believed in Jesus Christ, they were discipled (Col. 1:7). Epaphras did not simply lead the believers to Christ and then abandon them. He taught them the Word and sought to establish their faith. The word translated “learned” in verse 7 is related to the word disciple in the Greek language. It is the same word Jesus used: “learn from me” (Matt. 11:29) or in effect,” become my disciple.”
These new believers were in danger of turning from the truth and following the false teachers. Paul reminded them that it was Epaphras who led them to Christ, discipled them in God’s Word. He commends them for their faith, love, and hope which they had embraced. Then he reminded them that their hope was secure (already laid up in heaven). The false teaches were causing them to have doubts about what they had heard from Epaphras. Like the Colossians, we should beware of any religious teacher who does not seek to win the lost, but devotes himself to “sheep stealing.”
Neither should we forget that new Christians must be discipled, but in keeping with the Word of God. The Great Commission does not stop with the salvation of the lost, for in that commission Jesus commands us to teach converts the Word as well (Matt. 28:19-20). That is what the fellowship of the local church is all about. The New Testament does not teach the kind of “Lone Ranger” Christianity that is so prevalent today – people who ignore the local church and who find all their spiritual food in books, radio, TV, or tapes.
Epaphras was a faithful minister. He not only won people to Christ, but he taught them the Word and helped them to grow. He also prayed for them (Col. 4:12-13) that they might become mature in Christ. When danger threatened the members of the church, Epaphras went to Rome to get counsel from Paul. This letter we are reading is the result of that visit.
The word “disciple” is found more that 260 times in the Gospels and Acts, and the verb translated, “to learn” is found 25 times in the New Testament. In Paul’s day, a disciple was not simply a person who sat and listened to a teacher. He was someone who lived with the teacher and who learned by listening, looking, and living. Discipleship involves more than an enrolling in a school and attending lectures. It meant total surrender to the teacher. It meant learning by living. Perhaps modern day medical students or trade apprentices come close to illustrating the meaning of discipleship.
But if we would disciple other believers, we must be careful not to get in the way. We are to make disciples for Christ, not ourselves. We must seek to relate people to Him so that they love Him and not us. Epaphras faithfully taught his people and related them to Jesus Christ, but the false teachers came to “draw away disciples.” Luke warns about this problem in Acts 20:28-30. Human nature has a tendency to want to follow men instead of God – to want “something new” instead the basic truths of the gospel.
Next we will look at the results of Epaphras’ efforts.
May 28, 2013 For those reading Colossians:
Because of Epaphras’ ministry some became faithful followers of Christ (Col. 1:6, 8). The Word of God is like seed planted (Luke 8:11). That means the Word has life (Heb. 4:12). When the Word is planted in the heart, it can produce fruit. “All over the world this gospel is producing fruit and growing” (Col. 1:6).
There is life and power in a seed. A seed sprouting in a small crack in a rock can produce roots strong enough to break that rock in pieces. When God’s Word is planted and cultivated it produces fruit. Faith, hope, and love are among the first fruits in a spiritual harvest. These spiritual graces are among the evidences that a person had truly been born again. (See I Thes. 1:3; Rom. 5:1-4; Heb. 6:9-12; Eph. 1:13-15; I Pet. 1:3-9).
FAITH comes through hearing the of God’s Word (Rom. 10:17). Our Christian lives start with saving faith; but this is only the beginning. We learn to walk by faith (II Cor. 5:7) and work by faith (I Thes. 1:3). It is faith that gives power to prayer (Luke 17:5-6). Faith is a shield that protest is from Satan’s fiery darts (Eph. 6:16).
LOVE is another evidence of true salvation, for the unsaved person is wrapped up in mainly himself (Eph. 2:1-3). The fact that these people loved all the saints was proof that God had changed them and given them eternal life. Christian love is not a shallow feeling that we manufacture; it is the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts (Col. 1:8; Rom. 5:5). It is worth noting that Col. 1:8 is the only verse in the letter that mentions the Holy Spirit, and it is in connection with love.
This Spirit-given love was for “all the saints” (1:4) and not only for those for those in Colossae. As Christians, we also need to realize the vastness of God’s love and share it with all the saints (Eph. 3:17-19). Believers should be “knit together in love” (Col. 2:2) so that there will be a true spiritual unity to the glory of God. The bond that unites us is love (Col. 3:14). Uniformity is the result of compulsion from the outside; unity is the result of compassion on the inside.
HOPE is also a characteristic of the true believer. Unsaved people are without hope because they are without God (Eph. 2:11-12). Those outside of Christ have no hope (I Thes. 4:13). In the Bible hope does not mean “hope so.” Our hope in Christ is as definite and assured as our faith in Christ. Because Christ in us, we have the “hope of glory” (Co. 1:27).
The false teachers tried to unsettle the Colossian believers and move them away from the hope of the gospel (Col. 1:23). But Paul made it clear that this hope is established and stedfast. It is “laid up” for believers in heaven. The idea is that this hope is reserved or set aside for believers in heaven. The tense of the verb indicates that this hope is once and for all reserved for us. But not only is it reserved for us, we are also being kept by God’s power so that we can be sure of enjoying heaven one day (I Pet. 1:1-5). We are being guarded for glory.
What is the relationship between faith, hope, and love? Certainly the more we love someone, the more we can trust them or not. We don’t not trust a casual acquaintance to the same degree that we do a confidential friend. As we come to know God better, we trust Him more. Wherever there is relationship of faith and love, there will be a growing hope. Paul taught that hope is a motivating power for love and for faith (Col. 1:4-5).
The blessed hope of seeing Jesus Christ and going to heaven to be with Him is a powerful force in the Christian’s life. When we realize the joy that will be ours in heaven, it makes us love God that much more. The fact that we can know we will be with Him in glory encourages us to trust Him more day by day. Even the problems here on earth need not move us away from that hope.
Have you noticed that the prospect of a future happiness has a way of making people draw closer together in love? Children look forward to Christmas, families look forward to vacations and those events draw them closer to one another. The bright promise of heaven encourages our faith and expands our love. Together faith and love present a more enjoyable hope and the future more exciting.
How do we know that we may have this hope? It is promised to us in the “word of truth of the gospel” (Col 1:5).
This is very helpful and encouraging! Thank you Grandpa Tom!
June 1, 2013, For those reading Colossians: A Prisoner’s Prayer (C0l. 1:9-12).
The prayers in Paul’s prison letters are certainly unique. To begin with he prays of others and not for himself. The requests in his prayers center on spiritual blessings, not on material or physical matters. Of course, it is not wrong to pray about physical or material needs. But spiritual needs are vastly more important.
How would you pray for a group of people you had never seen? All Paul knew about the believers at Colossae he learned from their faithful pastor, Epaphras. Paul knew of the false teaching that was threatening the church, so his prayers centered on that problem. In his prayer, Paul made three requests.
I. He Prayed for Spiritual Intelligence (Col. 1:9
II. He Prayed for Practical Obedience (Col. 1:10)
III. He Prayed for Moral Excellence (Col. 1:11=12)
I. The false teachers promised the Colossian believers that they would be “in the know” if they accepted the new doctrines they were teaching. Words like “knowledge, wisdom, and spiritual understanding” were a part of the false teacher’s religious vocabulary, so Paul used these words in his prayer for the Colossians.
Satan is so deceptive! He likes to borrow Christian vocabulary, but he does not use the Christian dictionary! Long before the false teachers had adopted these terms, these words had been in the Christian vocabulary and had definite meanings. The phrase,”for this reason,” relates to the prayer Paul had written in verse 6: “…and understood God’s grace in all its truth.” The report received from Epaphras convinced Paul that these believers truly knew Christ and were born again. But there was much more to learn from Him and about Him! “You do not need a new spiritual experience,” Paul was saying. “You only need to grow in the experience you have already had.”
When a person is born into God’s family by faith in Jesus Christ, he is born with all that he needs for growth and maturity. This is the theme of Colossians: “and you have been given fullness in Christ” (Col. 2:10). In other words, you are complete in Him, you don’t need to seek God by means of other religions, cults, or philosophies. “Do not look for something new,” Paul warned the church. “Continue to grow in that which you received at the beginning.”
Every believer needs to have “the knowledge of His will.” The Greek word translated “knowledge” in this verse carries the meaning of “full knowledge.” There is always more to learn about God and His will for our lives. No Christian would ever dare to say that he had “arrived” and needed to learn nothing more.
The will of God is an important part of a successful Christian life. God wants us to “know” His will (Acts 22:14) and “understand” it (Eph. 5:17). God is not a distant dictator who issues orders and never explains. Because we are His friends we can know what He is doing and why He is doing it (John 15:13-15). As we study His Word and pray, we discover new and exciting truths about God’s will for His people.
The word “fill, fullness, or filled” is a key word in Colossians. It was also a key word in the teachings of the false teachers who had invaded Colossae. Paul used one of these words many times. (See Col, 1:19, 25; 2:2, 9-10; 4:12, 17). The word “complete” means “filled to the full.” The word also carries the idea of being fully equipped: “You have been given fullness in Christ” (Col. 2:10).
In the language of the New Testament, to be “filled with the Spirit” (Eph. also means to be “controlled by the Spirit.” Paul’s prayer, then, is that these believers might be controlled by the full knowledge of God’s will.
But how does this take place? How can believers grow in the full knowledge of God’s will? Paul’s closing words of verse 9 tell us the fullness of God lives in bodily form. We understand the will of God through the Word of God. The Holy Spirit teaches us a we submit to Him (John 1426; 16:13). He gives us through the Spirt the wisdom and insight that we need (Eph. 1:17).
The general will of God for all His children is given clearly in the Bible. The specific will of God for any given situation must always agree with what He has already revealed in His Word. The better we know God’s general will, the easier it will be to determine His specific guidance in daily life. Paul did not encourage the Colossians to seek visions or wait for voices. He prayed that they study God’s Word and thus gain wisdom and insight concerning God’s will. He wanted them to have “all wisdom” – not that they would know everything, but that they would have all the wisdom necessary for making decisions and living to please God.
The first step toward the fullness of life is spiritual intelligence – growing in the will of God by knowing the Word of God.
II. He Prayed for Practical Obedience (Col. 1:10).
June 3, 2013 For those reading Colossians:
The false teachers in Colossae attracted people by their offer of “spiritual knowledge,” but they did not relate this knowledge to life. In the Christian life, knowledge and obedience go together. There is no separation between learning and living. The wisdom about which Paul prayed was not simply a head knowledge of deep spiritual truths (See 1:28; 2:3; 3:16; 4:5). True spiritual wisdom must affect the daily life. Wisdom and practical intelligence must go together (see Ex. 31:3; Deut 4:6; I Cor. 1:19).
Many have become intoxicated with “studying the deeper truths of the Bible.” All to often they have been given a book or tapes of some “Bible Teacher.” And, all to often the “deeper truths they discover only detour them from practical Christian living. Instead of getting burning hearts of devotion to Christ (Luke 24:32), they get big heads and start creating problems in their homes and churches. All Bible truths are practical, not theoretical. If one is growing in knowledge, he should also be growing in grace (II Peter 3:18).
Two words summarize the practicality of the Christian life: “walk” and “work.” The sequence is important: first wisdom; then walk; then work. One cannot work for God unless he is first walking with Him; but neither can he walk with Him if he is ignorant of His will. The believer who spends time in the Word and prayer (Acts 6:4) will know God’s will and be able to walk with Him and work for Him.
After all our purpose in life is not to please ourselves, but to please the Lord. We should walk worthy of our calling (Eph. 4:1) and worthy of the gospel (Phil. 1:27), which means we will walk worthy of God (I Thes. 2:12). In short, we should walk to please God (I Thes. 4:1).
It is not we who work for God; it is God who works in us and through us to produce the fruit of His grace (Phil. 2:12-13). Christian service is the result of Christian devotion. The work that we do is an overflow of the life that we live. It is by abiding in Christ that we can produce fruit (John 1:16).
God must make the worker before He can do the work. God spent 13 years preparing Joseph for his ministry in Egypt, and 80 years preparing Moses to lead Israel. Jesus spent 3 years teaching His disciples how to bear fruit; and even the Apostle Paul needed a “post-graduate course in Arabia before he could serve God with effectiveness. A newborn baby can cry and make his presence known, but it cannot do any work. A new Christian can witness for Christ and even win others – but he must be taught to walk and learn God’s wisdom before he is placed in a place of responsible ministry.
God’s wisdom reveals God’s will. As we obey God’s will in our walk, we can work for Him and bear fruit. We will not just occasionally serve God; we will be “fruitful in every good work” (Col. 1:10). But there is a blessed by-product of this experience, and that is “increasing in the knowledge of God. As we walk with God and work for God, we get to know Him better and better.
Our Christian lives desperately need balance. Certainly we get to know God better as we pray in private and meditate on His Word. But we also get to know Him as we walk in our daily lives and work to win others and hep His people.
Worship and service are not competitive. They always go together. When He was ministering on earth, our Lord retired to pray – then He went out to serve. We need to avoid the extremes of impractical mysticism and fleshly enthusiasm. As we spend time with God, we get too understand Him and His will for our lives; and as we go out to obey Him, we learn even more.
Practical obedience means pleasing God, serving Him and getting to know Him better. Any doctrine that isolates the believer from the needs of the world is not a biblical doctrine. Paul prayed that we might have spiritual intelligence, and that this intelligence might show itself n practical obedience. But there is a third request that completes the first two; and without it, the Christian life could not be mature.
III He Prayed for Moral Excellence (Col. 1:11-12)
June 6, 2013 For those reading Colossians: (Col. 1:11-12)
Wisdom and conduct should always be related to moral character. We ought never to emphasize “spiritual knowledge”and “Christian service, ” without connecting these important matters to personal character. Knowledge, conduct, service, and character must always go together. We know God’s will that we might obey it; and in obeying it, we serve Him and grow in Christian character. While none of us is perfectly balanced in these four factors, we ought to strive for balance.
It is God’s energy that empowers us. Verse 11 reads, in effect: “with all power being empowered according to the might of His glory.” Paul used two different Greek words for God’s energy: “dunamis” (from which we get our word “dynamite”) it carries the idea of “inherent power”; and “kratos” which has the idea of “manifested power,” power that is put forth in action. The grace of our Christian lives is but the result of God’s at work in our lives. Spiritual growth and maturity can come only as we yield to God’s power and permit Him to work in us.
We usually think of God’s power being revealed in great feats of daring…the Israelites crossing the Red Sea, David killing Goliath, or Paul raising the dead. But the emphasis here is on Christian character: patience, long suffering, joyfulness, and thanksgiving. The inner victories of the soul are just as great, if not greater than the public victories recorded in the pages of history. For David to control his temper when being maligned by Shimei was a greater victory than slaying Goliath (II Sam. 16:5-13). “Better is a patient man than a warrior, a man who controls his temper than one who takes a city” (Prov. 16:32, NIV).
The word “patience” means “endurance when circumstances are difficult.” It is the opposite of despondency. The word is never used in reference to God, for God does not face difficult circumstances. Nothing is impossible with God (Jer. 32:27)
Patience is an important characteristic of the maturing Christian life. If we do not learn to be patient, we are not likely to learn anything else. As believers we are to rejoice even in our tribulations, because we know “suffering produces perseverance; perseverance character, and character hope” (Rom. 5:3-4, NIV).
We must never think that patience is complacency. Patience is endurance in action. It is not the Christian sitting in a rocking chair, waiting for God to do something. It is the soldier on the battlefield, keeping on when the going is tough. It is the runner on the race track, refusing to stop because he wants to win the race (Heb. 21:1). It is always too soon to quit!
Along with patience, we need long-suffering. This word means “self-restraint” and is the opposite of revenge. Patience has to do primary with circumstances, while long-suffering has to do with people. God is long-suffering toward His people because of His love and grace (II Pet. 3:9). Long-suffering is one to the fruits of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22). It is among the “grace garments” that the believer is to wear on his soul (Col. 3:12).
It is amazing how people can patiently endure trying circumstances, only to lose their tempers with a friend or loved one. Moses was patient in the contest with Pharaoh in Egypt. But he lost his temper with his own people and, as a result was not allowed to enter the Promised Land (Num. 20). “Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control” (Prov. 25:28 NIV).
Patience and long-suffering go together if we are growing spiritually. Paul listed them as the marks of a true minister of Jesus Christ (II Cor. 6:4-6). Certainly, Paul displayed these graces in his own life (II Tim.3:10). The great example of patience and long-suffering in the Old Testament is Job (James 5:10-11). In the New Testament, of course, it is Christ.
God’s power is demonstrated in our lives not only in our patience and long-suffering, but also in our joyfulness. When circumstances are difficult, we should exhibit joyful patience; and when people are hard to live with, we should show forth joyful long-suffering. There is a kind of patience that endures but does not enjoy. Paul prayed that the Colossian Christians might experience joyful patience and long-suffering.
We often use the words joy and happiness interchangeably, but a distinction should be made. Happiness often depends on happenings. If circumstances are encouraging and people are kind, we are happy. But joy is independent of both circumstances and people. The most joyful epistle Paul wrote was Philippians, and he wrote it from prison as he faced the possibility of being martyred for his faith.
Only God’s Spirit, working within us, can give us joy in the midst problem circumstances and problem people. “The fruit of the Spirit is…..joy (Gal. 5:22). Joy is not something that we ourselves can work up, it is something the Spirit works in us (Rom. 14:17 NIV).
The fourth evidence of God’s power at work in our lives is “thankfulness.” Christians who are filled with the Holy Spirit will be joyful and thankful (Eph. 3:18-20). When we lose our joy, we begin to complain and become critical.
The Colossian epistle is filled with thanksgiving. Paul gave thanks for the church in Colossae (Col. 1:3), and he prayed that they might grow in their own thanksgiving to God (1:12). One of the evidences of spiritual growth in our Bible study is thanksgiving (3:15-17). Our prayers should always include thanksgiving (4:2) The Christian who is filled with the Spirit, filled with the Word, and watching in prayer will prove it by his attitude of appreciation and thanksgiving to God.
Thankfulness is the opposite of selfishness. The selfish person says, “I deserve what comes to me! Other people ought to make me happy!” But the mature Christian realizes that life is a gift from God, and that the blessings of life come only from Him.
As we review this marvelous prayer, we can see how penetrating it is. We need spiritual intelligence if we are going to live to please God. We also need practical obedience in our walk and work. But the result of all this must be spiritual power in the inner man, power that leads to joyful patience and long-suffering with thanksgiving.
June 8, 2013 For those reading Colossians
Crown Him Lord of All! (Col. 1:13-20)
The false teachers in Colossae, like the false teachers of our own day, would not deny the importance of Jesus Christ. They would simply dethrone Him, giving Him prominence but not preeminence. In their philosophy, Jesus Christ was but one of many “emanations” that proceed from God and through which men could reach God. It was this claim that Paul refuted in this section.
Probably no paragraph in the New Testament contains more concentrated doctrine about Jesus Christ the this one. We can keep ourselves from going on a detour if we remember that Paul wrote to prove the preeminence of Christ, and he did so by using four arguments.
I. Christ Is the Savior (Co. 1:13-14)
II. Christ Is the Creator (Col 1:15-17)
III. Christ Is the Head of the Church (Col. 1:18)
IV. Christ Is the Beloved of the Father (Col. 1:19-20
I. Christ Is the Savior (Col. 1:13-14)
Man’s greatest problem is sin – a problem that can never be solved by a philosopher or religious teacher. Sinners need a Savior. These two verses present a vivid picture of the four saving actions of Christ on our behalf.
A. He delivered us (1:13a), “For He rescued us from the dominion of darkness.” He rescued us from danger. We cannot deliver ourselves from the guilt and penalty of sin, but Jesus could and did deliver us. We were in danger of spending eternity apart from God. The sword of God’s judgment was hanging over our heads!
But this deliverance involved something else: we were delivered from the authority of Satan and the power of darkness. The Gnostic teachers believed in an organization of evil spirits that controlled the world (see Col. 1:16; 2:10, 15): angels, archangels, principalities, virtues, dominions, and thrones. John Milton used these titles when describing Satan’s forces in his classic Paradise Lost.
B. He translated us (1:13b) :…and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves.” The word is used to describe the deportation of a population from one country to another. History records that Antiochus the Great transported at least two thousand Jews from Babylonia to Colossae.
Jesus Christ did not rescue us from bondage only to have us wander aimlessly. He moved us into His own kingdom of light and made us victors over Satan’s kingdom of darkness. Earthly rulers transported defeated people, but Jesus Christ transported winners.
God loves the Son. At the baptism and transfiguration of Jesus Christ, the Father declared that Jesus was His beloved Son (Matt. 3:17; 17:5). This fact reminds us of the price the Father paid when He gave His Son for us. It also reminds us that His kingdom is a kingdom of love as well as a kingdom of light.
C. He Redeemed us (1:14a) “…in whom we have redemption” The word means to release a prisoner by the payment of a price. Paul did not suggest that Jesus paid a ransom to Satan in order to rescue us from the kingdom of darkness. By His death and resurrection, Jesus met the holy demands of God’s Law. Satan seeks to accuse us and imprison us because he knows we are guilty of breaking God’s Law. But the ransom has been paid on Calvary, we have been set free.
D. He has forgiven us (1:14b) In Him we have “the forgiveness of sins.” Redemption and forgiveness go together (Eph. 1:7). The word translated forgiveness means “to send away” or “to cancel debt.” Christ has not only set us free and transferred us into a new kingdom, but He has cancelled every debt so that we cannot be enslaved again. Satan cannot find anything in the files that will indict us!
In the Reformation, the church rediscovered the freedom of forgiveness in Christ alone. God’s forgiveness of sinners is an act of His grace. We did not deserve to be forgiven, nor can we earn forgiveness. Knowing that we are forgiven makes it possible for us to fellowship with God, enjoy His grace, and seek to do His will. Forgiveness is not an excuse to continue in sin; rather, it is an encouragement for obedience to God. And because we have been forgiven, we can forgive others (Col. 3:13). The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant makes it clear that an unforgiving spirit always leads to bondage (Matt. 18:21-35).
Jesus Christ is preeminent in salvation. No other person could redeem us, forgive us, transfer us out Satan’s kingdom into God’s kingdom, and do it wholly by grace. Let us remember that the cost of our salvation is the shed blood of Jesus Christ.
II. Christ Is the Creator (Col, 1:15-17)
June 10, 2013. For those reading Colossians:
Maybe I need to find a way to get this more readily available. The heading has now disappeared from view. Dad. For now I will continue.
II. Christ Is the Creator (Col 1: 15-17)
The false teachers were very confused about creation. They taught that matter was evil, including the human body. They also tight that Jesus Christ did not have a real body since this would put Him in contact with evil matter. The results of these false teachings were tragic, including extreme asceticism on the one hand and unbridled sin on the other. After all, if the body is sinful, you either enjoy it or you try to endure it.
In this section, Paul explained the fourfold relationship of Jesus Christ to creation.
A. He existed before creation (Col. 1:15). The term “firstborn” does not refer to time, but to place or status. Jesus Christ cannot be the first being created, since He is the Creator of all things. “Firstborn” simply means “of first importance or rank.” Solomon was certainly not first born of all of David’s sons, yet he was named the firstborn (Ps. 89:27). “Firstborn of all creation,” means priority to all creation. Jesus Christ is not a created being; He is eternal God.
Paul used the word “image” to make this fact clear. It means “an exact representation and revelation.” The writer to the Hebrews affirms that Jesus Christ is “the exact representation of His (God’s) being (Heb. 1:3). Jesus was able to say, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). In His essence, God is invisible; but Jesus Christ has revealed Him to us (John 1:18). Nature reveals the existence, power, and wisdom of God, but nature cannot reveal the very essence of God to us. It is only in Jesus Christ that the invisible God is revealed perfectly. Since no mere creature can perfectly reveal God, Jesus Christ must be God (John 1:1).
B. He created all things (!:16 see also John 1:3). Since Christ created all things, He Himself is uncreated. The word “for” that introduces this verse could be translated “because.” Jesus is the first born of all “because” He created all things. It is no wonder that the winds and waves obey Him and disease and death fled from Him. All things were made by Him, and that includes all things in heaven and earth, visible and invisible. All things are under His command.
C. All things were created for Him (1:16b) Everything exist in Him, for Him, and through Him. Jesus Christ is the sphere in which they exist, the agent through which they came into being, and the one for whom they were made.
These prepositions refute the philosophy of the false teachers. For centuries, the Greek philosophers had taught that everything needed a primary cause, an instrumental cause, and a final cause. The primary cause is the plan, the instrumental cause the power, and the final cause the purpose. When is comes to creation, Jesus is the primary cause (He planned it), the instrumental cause (He produced it), and the final cause (He did it for His own pleasure).
If everything in creation exists for Him, them nothing can be evil in and of itself (except for Satan and the fallen angels; even those God uses to accomplish His will). Gnostic regulations about using God’s creation are all foolish (Col 2:20-23). It also means that God’s creation, even though under bondage to sin (Rom. 8:22), can be used for God’s glory and enjoyed by God’s people (I Tim. 6:17). Of course they can and often do misuse them.
D. He holds all things together (1:17). “In Him all things hold together”. A guide took a group of people through an atomic laboratory and explained how all matter was composed of rapidly moving electric particles. The tourists studied models of molecules and were amazed to earn that matter is made up primarily of space. During the question and answer period, one visitor asked, “If this is the way matter works, what holds it together?” The guide had no answer.
But the Christian has an answer: Jesus Christ! Because “He is before all things and made all things, “He can hold all things together. Again this is another affirmation that Jesus Christ is God. To make Jesus Christ less than God is to dethrone HIm
We sing with gusto: “This is My Father’s World. “, and it is! Jesus Christ made all things, He controls all things, and by Him they hold together. Truly, This is my Father’s world,
June 13, 2013 For those reading Colossians
III. Christ is the Head of the Church (Col. 1:18)
There are many images of the church in the New Testament, and the body is one of the most important (Rom. 12:4ff; I Cor. 12:14; Eph. 4:8-16). No denomination or local assembly can claim to be the “the body of Christ,” for that body is composed of all true believers. When a person trusts Christ, he is immediately baptized by the Spirit into that body (I Cor. 12:12-13). The baptism of the Spirit is not a post conversion experience – for it occurs the instant a person believes in Jesus Christ.
Each true Christian is a member of this spiritual body, and Jesus Christ is the head. In Greek usage, the word “head” means “source” and “origin” as well as “leader, ruler.” Jesus Christ is the Source of the church, His body, and the Leader. Paul called Him “the Beginning,” which tells us that Jesus Christ has priority in time as far as the church is concerned. The term beginning can be translated “originator.”
No matter which name you select, it will affirm the preeminence of Jesus Christ in the church. The church had its origin in Him, and today it has its operation in Him. As the Head of the church, Jesus Christ supplies it with life through His Spirit. He gives gifts to men and then places those persons in His church that they might serve Him where they are needed. Through his Word, Jesus Christ nourishes and cleanses the church (Eph. 5:25-30). To be continued…
Does anyone know how I can make this more easily accessible?
June 17, 2013 Continued from June 13th.
No believer on earth is the Head of the church. This position is reserved exclusively for Jesus Christ. Various religious leaders may have founded churches or denominations; but only Jesus Christ is the founder of the church which is His body. This church is composed of all true believers.
The fact that there is “one body” in this world (Eph. 4:4) does not eliminate or minimize the need for local bodies of believers. The fact that one belongs to the universal church does not release him from responsibilities to the local church. A pastor cannot minister to the whole church, but he can strengthen and build the church by ministering to God’s people in a local assembly.
Paul also tells us that Jesus Christ is not only the Head of the church, but that He is the “firstborn” from the dead. We saw this word “firstborn” in Colossians 1:15. Paul does not mean that Jesus Christ was the first person to be raised from the dead, for He was not, But he means that He is the most important of all who have been raised; for without His resurrection, there could be no resurrection for others (I Cor. 15:20ff).
It may seem odd that Paul used the word “born” in connection with death, for the two concepts seem opposed to one another. But the tomb was the womb from which Christ came forth in victory, for the birth pangs of death could not hold Him (Acts 2:24). The Son was begotten in the resurrection (Ps. 2:7; Acts 13:33).
This brings us again to the theme of this entire section: “so that in everything He might have the supremacy (be preeminent) (1:18). This was God’s purpose in making His Son the Savior, Creator, and Head of the church. The word translated “preeminence” is used nowhere else in the New Testament. It is related to the word translated “firstborn” and it magnifies the unique position of Jesus Christ. “Christ is all and is in all{ (Col. 3:11).
But the false teachers in Colossae could never give Jesus Christ the place of preeminence; for according to their philosophy, Jesus Christ was only one of many “emanations” from God. He was not the only way to God (John 14:6); rather, He was but one rung of the ladder! Some may have been willing to give Him a place of prominence, but never preeminence.
We have now studied three arguments for the preeminence of Jesus Christ: He is the Savior, He is the Creator, and He is the Head of the church. These arguments reveal His relationship with lost sinners, with the universe, and with believers. But what about His relationship with God the Father?
IV. He is the Beloved of the Father (Col. 1:19-20). “For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him, and through Him reconcile to Him all things…(1:19). By this statement, Paul was seeking to refute the Greek idea that Jesus could not be human and divine at the same time. Christ is fully human; He is also fully divine. He has always been God, and always will be God. When we have Christ, we have God in human form. No aspect of His being can be diminished – either His humanity or His divinity.
Paul had already called Jesus Christ the Son of God’s love (1:13). Those who have accepted Jesus Christ as Savior, have freely received the Son God loves (Eph. 1:6). For this reason, God can call us His beloved (Col. 2:12).
Then Paul takes a giant step forward in his argument, for he declares that “all fullness” dwelt in Jesus Christ and that God was pleased to have it so. The word translated “fullness” is the Greek word “pleroma” (pronounced “play-RO-ma”). It was a technical term in the vocabulary of the Gnostic false teachers. It meant “the sum total of all the divine power and attributes.” Paul used this important word 8 times in this letter, so he was meeting the false teachers on their own ground.
The word “dwell” is equally important. It means much more than merely “to reside.” The form of the verb means “to be at home permanently. This fullness was not something added to His being that was not natural to Him, but was always a part of His essential Being.
The Father would not permanently give His “pleroma” to some created being. The fact that it “pleased the Father” to have this fullness in Christ is further proof that Jesus Christ is God (John 1:16; Col. 2:9).
Because Jesus Christ is God, He can do what no mere man could ever do: reconcile lost sinners to a holy God. When the first man and woman sinned, they declared war on God; but God did not declare war on them. Instead, God sought Adam and Eve, and provided a covering for their sins.
The natural mind of the unsaved sinner is at war with God (Rom. 8:7). The sinner may be sincere, religious, even moral; but he is still at war with God.
How can a holy God ever be reconciled with sinful man? Can God lower His standards, close His eyes to sin, and compromise with man? If He did, the universe would fall apart. God must be consistent with Himself and maintain His holy law.
Perhaps man could somehow please God. But by nature, man is separated from God; and by his deeds, he is alienated from God (Col. 1:21). The sinner is “dead in trespasses and sins” (Eph. 2:1ff), therefore he is unable to do anything to save himself or to please God.
If there is to be reconciliation between man and God, the initiative and action must come from God. It is in Christ that God was reconciled to man (II Cor. 5:19). But it was not the incarnation of Christ that accomplished the reconciliation, nor was it His example as He lived among men. It was through His death that peace was made between God and man (Col. 1:20).
Of course, the false prophets offered a kind of reconciliation between God and man. They taught that the angels and the “emanations” would in some way bring men closer to God, but that reconciliation was never compete or final. The reconciliation we have in Christ is perfect, complete, and final. Moreover, the reconciliation in Christ involves the whole universe. “…reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven” (Col. 1:20).
However, we must not conclude wrongly that universal reconciliation is the same as universal salvation. “Universalism” is the teaching that all beings, including those who reject Jesus Christ, will one day be saved. This was not what Paul believed or taught. He definitely taught that sinners need to be saved and that those who failed to believe in Jesus Christ were condemned to hell (see II Thes. 1).
Paul wrote that Christ has solved the sin problem on the cross once and for all. This means that one day God can bring together in Christ all that belong to Him (Eph. 1:9-10). He will be able to glorify believers and punish unbelievers, and do it justly, because of Christ’s death on the cross.
As we review this profound section, we notice several important truths.
First, Jesus Christ has taken care of all things. All things were created by Him and for Him. He existed before all things and today He holds all things together. He has reconciled all things through the cross. No wonder Paul declared that “in all things He might have the preeminence” (Col. 1:18).
Second, all that we need is Jesus Christ. We have all of God’s fullness in Him, and we are “filled to the full” (complete) in Him (2:10). There is no need to add anything to the Person or work of Jesus Christ. To add anything is to take away from His glory. To give Him prominence instead of preeminence is to dethrone Him.
Third, God is pleased when His Son, Jesus Christ, is honored and given preeminence. There are people who tell us they are Christians, but they ignore or deny that Jesus Christ is God. “We worship the Father,” they tell us, “and that is all that is necessary.”
But Jesus made it clear that the Son is to be worshiped as well as the Father (John 3:23-24).
June 19, 2013 For those reading Colossians
One Man’s Ministry Colossians 1:21-2:3
If you received a letter from a man you had never met, a man who was a prisoner, accused of being a troublemaker, how would you respond?
The Colossian believers faced that exact problem. They knew that Paul had been instrumental in leading their pastor, Epaphras, to saving faith in Christ. They also knew that Epaphras had gone to Rome to consult with Paul and he had not yet returned. The church members had received Paul’s letter, brought to them by Tychicus and Onesimus. But the false teachers in Colossae had been discrediting Paul and causing doubts in the people’s minds. “Why listen to a man who is a political prisoner,”they asked.?” Can you trust him”?
Paul no doubt realized that this would be the situation, so he paused in the his letter to give some words of explanation. He had been so wrapped up in exalting Jesus Christ that he had not shown any interest in writing about himself. In this section, Paul explained his three ministries.
I. Sharing the Gospel (Col. 1:21-23)
Even though Paul had not personally evangelized, Colossae, it was his ministry in Ephesus that led to the founding of the Colossian church. Paul was made a minister, a servant, by God Himself (Col. 1:25). A large part of his ministry consisted in preaching the good news of Jesus Christ. His was a ministry of reconciliation (II Cor. 5:17-21). Paul reviewed for his readers their own spiritual experience.
A. Their past alienation (1:21a). The word translated “alienated” means estranged. These Gentiles in Colossae had been estranged from God and separated from the spiritual blessings of Israel (Eph. 2:11ff). The gods they had worshiped were idols and their religious rituals could not take care of their sin and guilt.
This estrangement was not only a matter of Gentile position; it was a matter of practice and attitudes. The Gentiles were enemies, which means they were “actively hostile to God.” Even though they had not received a divine law, such as God gave to Israel, these Gentiles knew the truth about God through creation and conscience (Rom. 1:18ff). They could not plead ignorance before the bar of God’s justice.
The enmity of their minds led to wicked works, both in attitude and action, they were at war with God (Rom. 8:7). This explains why the unbeliever must repent – changes his mind – before he can be saved
B, Their present reconciliation (1:21b=22). They did not reconcile themselves to God; it was God who took the initiative in His love and grace. The Father sent the Son to die on a cross that sinners might be reconciled to God. Jesus died for us when we were “powerless,” without strength (Rom. 5:6), and could do nothing for ourselves. He died for us “while we were yet sinners” (Rom. 5:8, 10).
Paul emphasized the physical body of Jesus Christ that was nailed to the cross. The false teachers denied the Incarnation and taught that Jesus Christ did not have a real human body. Their philosophy that matter was evil made it necessary for them to draw this false conclusion. But the New Testament makes it clear that Jesus did have a fully human body, and that He bore our sins on that body on the cross (I Peter 2:24).
The purpose of this reconciliation is personal holiness. God does not make peace (Col. 1:20) so that we can continue to be rebels! He has reconciled us to Himself so that we may share His life and holiness. We are presented to God that we may be “holy in His sight, without blemish and free from accusation” (1:22).
The word holy is closely related to the word saint. Both express the idea of “being set apart, being devoted to God.” Paul wrote this letter to living saints (Co, 1:2)
The words “without blemish” was applied to the temple sacrifices. It is amazing that God looks at His children and sees no blemish on them. God chose us to be “holy and without blame” (Eph. 1:4).
Further we as His children are free from accusation. Once we are reconciled to God, no charges can be brought against us (Rom. 8:31-34). Satan, the accuser (Rev. 12:1-12), would like to hurl charges against us but God will not accept them (see Zech, 3).
The most important thing in our Christians lives is not how we look in our own sight, or it the sight of others (I Cor. 4:1-4) – but how we look in God’s sight.
Paul’s emphasis on our holy standing before God was certainly as attack on the false teachers, for they promised their followers a kind of”perfection” that nothing else could give.Pau said, “You already have a perfect standing before God, so why seek for it anywhere else?”
C. Their future glorification (1:23). “The hope of the Gospel” means that blessed hope of our Lord’s return (Titus 2:13). Paul has already mentioned this hope in Colossians 1:5. Now he assures them that when they were reconciled to God, they were given a wonderful hope of glory. All of God’s children will one day be with Christ in heaven (John 17:24). In fact, so secure is our future that Paul stated that we have already been glorified (Rom. 8:30). All we are waiting for is the revelation of this glory when Jesus Christ returns (Rim. 8:17-19).
To some Colossians 1:23 may seem to cast a shadow on the assurance of our future glory. Is it possible for a believer too lose his salvation? No, the “if” clause does not suggest doubt or lay down a condition by which we “keep our salvation.”
We are not saved by continuing in the faith But we continue in the faith and thus prove that we have been saved. It behooves each professing Christian to test and examine his own heart to be sure he is a child of God (II Cor. 13:5; II Peter 2:10ff.).
I am still unclear about the meaning of Col. 1:20, “and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.”
I understand that “reconciling to himself all things” cannot mean universalism. Does it simply mean that Jesus brings shalom?
June 20, 2013 Further light on Colossians 1:20. (citing Gordon Clark)
The subject of the verb “to reconcile” continues to be God (understood) in verse 19. This should cause no surprise, but a careless reader might think that the next verb has Christ as its subject. Was it not Christ who made peace through the blood of the cross? However, this is dramatically impossible. It is God who pleased to reconcile the universe, and it is God who made peace. Such is the syntax. But of course God made peace by the blood of Christ’s cross The “his” in “his cross”must refer to Christ.
Now when we pause to consider, this is staggering. The preceding verses have described Christ in transcendent terms. He was the Creator, in whom all fullness dwells, the heir of the universe, for whom indeed it was created. When now the Creator of heaven and earth, the Creator Himself, voluntarily suffered on the cross for our sins, we can only stand in awe and worship.
The next question is, Who reconciled whom? Of course the text says that God reconciled the world. But there is a twist in the English usage, and we ask again. To whom was who reconciled? Were sinners reconciled to God, or God to sinners? This is not an absurd question, as if it made no difference. In human affairs there are two possibilities. Two men might commit some offense, each against the other. Both would be justifiably angry. They might later settle their difficulties. However, this case cannot illustrate the situation between God and sinners because God alone has been wronged. More nearly similar to the case of God and sinners is that in which one man has defrauded another, blackened his reputation, and violated his rights. In this case only the second man can be justifiably angry. How then may these two be reconciled? It is true that we speak of them as being reconciled to each other. But this reciprocal expression ignores the fact that one was the sinner and the other sinned against. It is the latter who strictly must be reconciled, appeased, or propitiated.He alone has been angry and it is his anger that must be turned aside.
Hence when this verse says that God reconciled the word to Himself, we see that God really reconciled Himself to the world by making peace through the blood of Christ’s cross. The human criminal who injures his neighbor is presumably capable of restitution of some kind and of gaining the man’s friendship again. But the religious situation is that the offender can do anything. It is the offended who must make peace. Now, this may not be the complete doctrine of the atonement; but it is an indispensable part of it.
That reconciliation includes sinners is no surprise to anyone who knows the least bit about the Bible; but the verse itself extends the scope of reconciliation still further. God reconciled Himself to all things – to the whole universe. Surely “ta panta” in this verse is as extensive as it was in verses 16 and 17. To this agrees the phrase “in heaven and on earth,” Even if these particulars mainly suggest spiritual beings, the visibles would include not only human bodies but also the physical universe. While Romans 8:22 may refer only to living creatures – though groaneth can be taken metaphorically of mountains and stars – II Peter 3:10 more clearly indicates some purpose of God for the physical universe. This is a point dimly apprehended by most Christians and almost completely unknown by others.
Yet Christians may dimly recollect that Genesis 3:17-18 records the curse put upon the ground. And if Christians ever sing Christmas carols, they may remember,
No more let sins and sorrows grow,
No thorns infest the ground,
He comes to make his blessings flow
Far as the curse is found.
While this inclusion of the physical universe is sufficiently broad to satisfy philosophic generalities, there remain a few details with respect to rational beings. It is impossible, as we have now seen, to restrict this verse to the human race, though some commentators have tried to do. All the worse is a restriction to the souls of departed Christians; and utterly perverse to limit it, with Schleirmacher, to earthly and ecclesiastical relationships. It is less implausible to find in this verse a suggestion of universal salvation. Indeed, it might be so taken, were it not for the clear teaching of other New Testament passages.
A more puzzling question is: if God reconciles all things to Himself, through Christ’s sacrifice, and if “all” includes the righteous angels who never fell, what sort of reconciliation can they heed? The ground has thorns, but the righteous angels seem to have no defects at all. Perhaps the best that can be said is that these angels rejoice at the reconciliation of sinners and come to know better what in I Peter 1:12 they could only desire to look into. This is of course supposition and not exegesis.
However some of these difficulties are resolved, it might be permissible to stretch the meaning of reconciliation beyond that of two persons re-establishing a broken relationship. Regenerated minds are so centered on the reconciliation of sinners that other facets of God’s great redemptive plan escape attention. Therefore, even though some commentators oppose it, we might consider reconciliation here to be the equivalent of the word in Ephesians 1:10, translated “gather together” or better, “head up all things in Christ.” The words “on earth and in heaven” occur in Ephesians as they occur here a second time to end the verse. In support of this extension of the meaning, one can cite I Corinthians 15:24, 28, where it says that Christ, after all things shall be subdued to him, will deliver up the kingdom to God, the Father, that God may be all in all. However, this takes us too far away from the exegesis of Colossians.
This ends Clark’s comments. Are there other questions? Let’s hear them.
Interpreting the meaning of “reconcile all things” as something close to “head up all things in Christ” makes more sense to me. A few verses earlier, Paul states that all things were made for Christ; yet, through the fall, Satan takes things for himself.
Although God never lost control, the human race was now under Satan’s sway because of its bondage to sin. By taking God’s wrath towards us upon himself, Jesus removed the source of Satan’s power, namely, our inability to keep God’s law through our own strength. Can it be said that “to reconcile all things to himself” means that God to establish Christ’s headship over all things, including over his enemies?
Psalm 136 drives this understanding that creation and God’s people (us) are both redeemed and reconciled to him by his enduring grace. verse 1: Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever….verse5: to him by understanding made the heavens, for his steadfast love endures forever.. verse 6ff: who spread out the earth above the waters, his steadfast love endures forever….verse 10: to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt, for his steadfast love endures forever; 11ff and brought Israel out from among them, for his steadfast love endures forever, …. verse 23ff It is he who remembered our low estate, for his steadfast love endures forever..
By the way, the carol “Joy to the World” was taken from Psalm 98! However, the Psalm sings the message and content of 2Peter chapter 3 – that Jesus is creator, savior, and returning as Judge. So what sort of people ought we to be in holiness and godliness? This study in Colossians has provided no shortage of encouragement for that life.
June 29, 2013 Thanks for the interaction, I wondered if anyone was reading this.
B. Suffering For the Gentiles (Colossians 1:24-27)
Paul’s enemies made much of the fact that the great apostle was a prisoner of Rome. The false teachers probably ridiculed Paul and used this as a weapon to fight the truth of the Gospel. But Paul turned this weapon around and used it to defeat his enemies and to build a closer relationship with the church in Colossae.
A. His Rejoicing (1:24) In effect Paul is saying, “Instead of being ashamed of my suffering , I am rejoicing in it!” How could anyone rejoice in suffering?To begin with, Paul was suffering because of Jesus Christ. It was “the fellowship of His suffering” (Phil. 3:10). Like the early apostles, Paul rejoiced that he “was counted worthy to suffer shame for His name” (Acts 5:41). A Christian should never suffer “as a thief or as an evildoer”; but it is an honor to “suffer as a Christian” (I Peter 4:15-16). There is a special blessing and reward received for the faithful believer who suffers for the sake of Christ (Matt. 5:10-12).
When Paul says, “I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions,” he does not mean that Christ’s suffering was inadequate to save them, nor does he mean that there is a predetermined amount of suffering that must be paid by all believers. Paul could be saying that suffering is inevitable in bringing the Good News of Christ to the world. It is called Christ’s suffering because all Christians are related to Christ. When we suffer, Christ feels it with us. But this suffering can be endured joyfully, just as the early apostles did.
Paul had a second cause for rejoicing in his suffering: he was suffering because of the Gentiles. Paul was the chosen apostle to the Gentiles (Eph. 3:1-13). In fact, he was a prisoner in Rome because of his love for the Gentiles. He was arrested in Jerusalem on false charges and the Jews listened to his defense until he used the word “Gentiles” (see Acts 22:21ff). It was that word that infuriated them and drove them to ask for his execution. (the full account is given in Acts 21-28, and an exciting account it is.)
So the Gentile believers in Colossae had every reason to love Paul and be thankful for his special ministry to them. But there is a third cause for Paul’s rejoicing: he was suffering for the sake of Christ’s body, the church. There was a time when Paul persecuted the church and caused it to suffer. Now (note the first word in our section.) Now Paul devoted his life to the care of the church. Paul did not ask, as some believers, “What will I get out of it?” Instead he asked, “How much will God let me put into it?” The fact that Paul was a prisoner did not stop him from ministering to the church.
B. His Responsibility (1:25-27). Had Paul compromised the Jews and stopped ministering to the Gentiles, he could have been spared a great deal of suffering. But he could not abandon his calling just for personal safety and comfort. He had been made a minister by God; he had been given a stewardship and he had to be faithful to his calling (I Cor. 4:2) It was not a matter of choice, he was called to fulfill the word of God. This can mean, “I must proclaim the Word fully and not compromise any truth: ” It can also mean, “I am commissioned by God’s Word and I must be faithful to discharge my office.”
Paul’s special message regarding Gentiles had to do with what he called “the mystery”. To us today, a mystery is something eerie and perhaps frightening; but this was not the way the word was defined in Paul’s day. The false teachers used this word to describe the inner secrets of their religions. A mystery, then, is a “sacred secret,” hidden in the past and now revealed. In the case of Christians, it is the Holy Spirit who does the revealing (Eph. 3:1-13).
God called the nation of Israel to be His own people. He gave them His Law (including the priesthood and sacrifices), and He gave them a wonderful land. He promised them a king who would one day establish a glorious kingdom and fulfill the many promises made to Abraham and David. The Old Testament prophets wrote about a Messiah who would suffer, and a Messiah who would reign and they could not explain the seeming contradiction (see I Peter 1:9-12). They did not understand that the Messiah had to suffer before He could enter into His glory (Luke 24:113-27).
Jesus Christ came to earth, was rejected by His people, and was crucified. He rose again and returned to heaven. Did that mean that God had abandoned His promises? No, God had not yet revealed the details of all that He planned. His “mystery” was not fully explained by the Old Testament prophets. The mystery is that God would unite his people, both Jew and Gentile in one body, His church (Eph. 2:11-22). When the church is completed, then Jesus Christ will return and take His people to heaven (I Thes. 15:12-15,
In the meantime this message was an encouragement to the Gentile believers in Colossae. They were no longer excluded from the glory and riches of God’s grace They no longer had to become Jewish proselytes in order to share in the blessings of Israel. No wonder the false teaches opposed Paul: he dared to say, “There is no difference!”
Although the Bible clearly teaches that there is no difference between Jew and Gentile, at least in terms of legal standing before God, it seems from Romans 9 – 11 that the Jews have a function in God’s overarching plan that is different from that of the Gentiles. Many Christians seem to have a view that God still has a special affection for the Jewish people. Is this view compatible with verses like Eph. 2:14, which says, “For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility …” and Col. 3:11, which says “Here there is no Gentile or Jew …”?
In particular, I often wonder what view we should have towards the current Jewish nation. Any thoughts?
An outline of the Book of Romans: After a brief introduction, Paul presents the facts of the gospel (1:3); and declares his allegiance to it (1:16, 17). He continues by building an airtight case for the lostness of mankind and necessity for God’s intervention (1:18-3:20).
Then Paul presents the Good News, salvation is available to all, regardless of a person’s identity, sin, or heritage. We are all saved by grace (unearned, undeserved favor from God) through faith (complete trust) in Christ and His finished work. Through Him we can stand before God justified, “not guilty” (3:21-5-21). With this foundation Paul moves directly into a discussion of the freedom that comes from being saved – freedom from the power of sin (6:1-23), freedom the dominion of the law (7:1-25), freedom to become like Christ and discover God’s limitless love (8:1-39).
Speaking directly to his Jewish brothers and sisters, Paul shares his concern for them and explains how they fit into God’s plan (9:1-11:12). God has made the way for Jews and Gentiles to be united in the body of Christ – both groups can praise God for His wisdom and love (11:13-36).
Paul explains what it means to live in complete submission to Christ – using spiritual gifts t0 serve others (12:9-21), and being good citizens (13:3-8). Freedom must be guided by love as we build each other up in the faith, being sensitive and helpful to those who are weak (14:1-15:4). Paul stresses unity, especially between Gentiles and Jews (15:5-130. He concludes by reviewing his reasons for writing, outlining his personal plans (15:22-33), greeting his friends, and giving a few final thoughts.
This is one broad outline of the book. I will try to go back and look into the details of chapters 9-11) .
Wow! I didn’t know this whole conversation was going on…. A great wealth of information!
Romans 9:1-5 – Paul’s Desire for Israel
The subject Paul now takes up was of all others the most painful and offensive to his Jewish brethren, so he approaches it with greatest of caution. He assures them that he was grieved at heart on their account; and that his love for them was ardent (verses 1-3). Their peculiar privileges he acknowledged and respected. They were highly distinguished by all the advantages connected with the Old Testament dispensation, and above all, by the fact that the Messiah was, according to the flesh, a Jew (verses 4-5).
As he opens the 9th chapter, he utters one of the most deeply felt cries that ever arose from a human heart. “I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race, the people of Israel.” He was not an indifferent spectator of their sorrow, temporal and spiritual, which was about to come upon them. He says that he would (if that were possible, which it is not) willingly take their punishment if that would save them.
Paul had two classes of brethren, those of his own race (Israelites) and those who were with him – “brothers in the Lord” (Phil.1:14). Paul’s objective in these first five verses is to assure the Jews of his love and respect for their peculiar privileges. These privileges he sets forth in verse 4-5. He is addressing the brothers of his own race. The word “Israel” means “one who contends with God, or a prince with God.” Jacob’s name was changed to Israel and became the common name of the 12 tribes. As the name implied that Jacob was a favorite of God, so the nation was under His favor. “Theirs is the adoption as sons…” As Paul is here speaking of external or natural Israel, the adoption or sonship which pertained to them, as such, must be external also, and is a very different from that which he spoke of in Romans 8, They were the sons of God, i.e., the objects of His peculiar favor, selected from the nations of the earth to be the recipients of peculiar blessings, and to stand in a peculiar relation to God (Ex. 4:22; Deut. 14:1). As the whole Old Testament economy was a type and shadow of the New, so the “sonship” of the Israelites was a shadow of the “sonship” of believers. The former (sonship) was in itself, and common to all Jews, only the peculiar relation which they sustained to God as partakers of the blessings of the theocracy. The latter (sonship), common to all the true children of God under any dispensation, is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and adoption into the household of God.
“The glory,…” This means more that the glory that was theirs as God’s peculiar people. In the Old Testament the symbolical manifestation of the divine presence which filled the tabernacle and rested over the ark, is called “the glory of the Lord (Ex. 40:34; see also Ex. 29:43; Lev. 16:2; I Kings 8:11; II Chron. 5:14). By the Jews this symbol was called the Shekinah, i. e. the presence of God. Besides this, the manifestation of God’s presence in general is called, His glory; (Isa. 6:3), and it is probable, therefore, that Paul intended by this word to refer to the fact that God dwelt in a peculiar manner among the Jews, and in various ways manifested His presence as one of their peculiar privileges.
“The covenants,”… The plural is used because God at various times entered into covenant with the Jews and their forefathers; by which He secured to them innumerable blessings and privileges; see Galatians 3:16-17; Ephesians 2:12.
“The law,”…God’s legislation was His pronouncement of His divine will from Mount Sinai. The possession of this law was a grand distinction of the Jews, one on which they peculiarly relied (Rom. 2:17).
“The temple worship,”… This is really a reference to the whole service of the pompous ritual carried on in the tabernacle and temple.
“The promises”. The promises relate, no doubt, especially to the promises of Christ (the coming Messiah) and His kingdom. This was the great inheritance of the nation (Gal.3:16, 21; Acts 26:6).
Verse 5. “Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ. The descent of the Jews from men so highly favored of God as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, was justly regarded as a great privilege, but the “whom” refers not to the them, but to the Israelite nation to whom pertain the adoption, etc., and of whom Christ came. The promise and His eventual coming was the greatest honor of the Jewish race. For this they were chosen as a peculiar people, and preserved amidst all their afflictions. Because it was true only in one sense that Christ descended from the nation of Israel, and as there was another view of His person, according to which He was infinitely exalted above them and all other men, the apostle qualifies his declaration by saying this was true only of His human ancestry.
“Who is God over all, forever praised. Amen.” Paul declares that Jesus is God, and He is over all things, not just over all men.
JULY 7, 2013 Paul’s view of he the Jews continued:
CHILDREN OF PROMISE (ROM. 9:6-13)
CHILDREN OF MERCY (ROM. 14-18)
The apostle now approaches the subject which he has in view, the rejection of the Jews, and the calling of the Gentiles. He begins by telling his readers that God’s Word had not failed, for it has always been God’s plan to cast off His ancient people, as such, and to extend the call of the Gospel indiscriminately to all men. He does this in the first place by showing that God is perfectly free to do just that (vv. 6-24). That God was at liberty to reject the Jews and call the Gentiles Paul argues: 1) By showing that the promises which He had made, and by which He had graciously bound Himself, were not made to the natural descendants of Abraham as such, but to his spiritual seed. This is plain from the case of Ishmael and Isaac; both were children of Abraham, yet one was taken and the other left. It is also from the case of Esau and Jacob. Though children of the same parents, and born the same day, yet “Jacob have I loved and Esau have I hated.” is the language of God respecting them, (vv 6-13). 2) By showing that God is perfectly sovereign in the distribution of His favors; that He is determined neither by the external relations, nor by the personal character of men, in the selection of the subjects of His mercy. This is proved by the examples just referred to; by the choice of Isaac instead of Ishmael, and especially by that of Jacob instead of Esau. In this case the choice was made and announced before the birth of the children, that it might be seen that it was not according to works, but according to the sovereign purpose of God (6-13).
Against this doctrine of the divine sovereignty, there are two obvious objections, which have been argued in every age of the world, and which Paul here explicitly answers. 1). It is argued that it is unjust in God to choose one, and reject the other, at His mere good pleasure (v. 14). To this Paul give two answers: a) . God claims this prerogative of sovereign mercy; saying, “I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, (vv 15-15). b). He exercises this right, as is evident from the case of Pharaoh, with regard to whom He says, “For this same purpose I have raised you up, (vv 17-18). 2). The second objection is that, if this doctrine is true, it destroys the responsibility of men, (v 19). To this Paul gives a two-fold answer: a). The very urging of an argument against a prerogative which God claims in His Word, and exercises in His providence, is an irreverent contending with our Maker, especially as the right in question necessarily arises out of the relation between men and God as creatures and Creator, (vv 20-21). b). There is nothing in the exercise of this sovereignty inconsistent with either justice or mercy. God only punishes the wicked for their sins, while He extends undeserved mercy to the objects of His grace. There is no injustice done to one wicked man in the pardon of another, especially as there are the highest objects to be accomplished both in the punishment of the vessels of wrath, and the pardon of the vessels of mercy. God does nothing more than exercise a right inherent in sovereignty, that is dispensing pardon at His pleasure.
Next time I will look at each verse in a bit more detail. So stay tuned
July 7, 2013
Verse 6. It was a common belief among the Jews, that the promises of God to Abraham and to his seed, included all his natural descendants, and sealed, as such by the rite of circumcision, they would certainly inherit the blessings of Messiah’s reign. It was enough for them, therefore, to be able to say, “We have Abraham as our father.” This being the case, it was obvious that it would be at once presented as an objection to Paul’s doctrine of the rejection of the Jews, as being inconsistent with the promises of God. Paul, therefore, without even distinctly announcing the position which he intends to maintain, removes this preliminary objection. He says, “God’s word has not failed, you just don’t understand it.” He does not tell the Jews at once they were to be cast off; but begins by professing his affection for them, and sorrow for their destiny; thus simply, by implication, informing them that they were not to be admitted to the Messiah’s kingdom. Then he had shown that this rejection involved no failure on the part of God in keeping His promises, and was consistent with His justice and mercy, he more distinctly announces that, agreeably to the predictions of their own prophets, they were no longer the peculiar people of God. He told them that God had not bound Himself never to cast off the Jews; and therefore, what the apostle taught concerning their rejection did not involve the failure of the word of God.
Verse 7. In this and following verses the sentiment is confirmed that natural descent from Abraham does not secure a position in the promised inheritance. See also Galatians 3:7. Not all the children of Abraham were made the heirs of his blessings, but Isaac was selected by the sovereign will of God to be the recipient of the promise. As God rejected Ishmael notwithstanding his natural descent form Abraham, so he may reject the Jews, although they also had Abraham as a father.
Verse 8. The Scriptures declare that Isaac, in preference to Ishmael, was selected to be the true seed and heir of Abraham, this proves, that it is not the children according to the flesh that are regarded as the children of God. As Ishmael “who was born after the flesh,” (Gal. 4:23),) i.e. according to the ordinary course of nature, was rejected, so also may the children born according to the flesh; and as Isaac, who was born “by promise,” i.e. in virtue of the promised interference of God, was made heir, so also are they heirs, who in like manner are the children of promise, that is, who are children of God, not by natural birth, but by God’s special and effectual grace.
Verse 9. Paul says that Isaac came as the “word of promise.” Isaac was so called because God said, “at this time I will come, etc. This is not only a prediction and promise that Isaac should be born, but also a declaration that it should be in consequence of God’s coming, i.e., of the special manifestation of His power; as, in Scriptural language, God is said to come, whenever He specially manifests His presence or power, (John 14:23; Luke 1:68).
Verse 10. Not only does the case of Isaac and Ishmael prove that the choice of God does not depend on natural descent, but on the sovereign will of God, but that of Rebecca shows the same truth still more clearly. In the former case, it might be supposed that Isaac was chosen because he was the son of Sarah, a free woman and the legitimate wife of Abraham, whereas Ishmael was the son of a maid-servant. In the choice between Jacob and Esau there is no room for any supposition. They had the same father and mother and were born on the same day. Here, assuredly, the choice was sovereign.
Verses 11 and 12. Not only does the case of Isaac and Ishmael show forth the sovereignty of God, but the that of Rebecca and her children does the same, in a more striking manner, because the decision between her children was made previously to their birth, for the very purpose of showing that it was not made on the grounds of works, but of the sovereign pleasure of God.
Verse 13. The words of this verse are quoted from Malachi 1:2-3, where the prophet is reproving the Jews for their ingratitude. As proof of God’s peculiar favor, He refers to His preference for them from the first, “Was not Esau Jacob’s brother…yet I loved Jacob, and hated Esau, etc. The meaning is, that God preferred one over the other, or chose one over the other. The word hate means to love less, or to regard and treat with less favor. Thus in Genesis 29: 33, Leah says, she was hated by her husband; while in a preceding verse, the same idea is expressed by saying Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah.” See also Matthew 6:24; Luke 14:26;John 12:25
CHILDREN OF MERCY – ROMANS 9:14-18
Verse 14. The apostle according to his usual manner, proposes the objection to his own doctrine in the form of a question, denies its validity, and immediately shows his reason; see Rom. 3:5; Gal. 3:21. Then obvious objection here presented is, that it is unjust in God, thus, according to His own purpose, to choose one and reject the other. This Paul denies, and supports his denial by an appeal, in the first place, to Scripture, and second, to experience. These arguments are founded on two assumptions. The first is, that the Scriptures are the word of God; and second, that what God actually does cannot be unrighteous. Consequently any objection which can be shown to have any weight against either the express declaration of Scripture, or an obvious fact in providence, is fairly answered.
Verse 15. The connection and argument are obvious. It is nit unjust in God to exercise His sovereignty in the distribution of His mercies, for He expressly claims the right. The passage quoted is from an interview of Moses with God. In answer to the prayer of the prophet for his people and for himself, God answered, “I will proclaim my name before you, and will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, etc. (Ex. 33:19). To be continued…
July 11, 2013
It is therefore a formal declaration of a divine prerogative, “I will do what I will do.” The ground of the decision is in Himself. It is obvious that Paul quotes this declaration to prove that God claims the sovereignty which he attributed to God.
Verse 16. If the ground of the decision or choice of the objects of mercy be in God, as asserted in verse 15, then that it is not in man, is a conclusion which flows from the previous declaration. The word “it” refers to the result contemplated in the context, viz., the attainment of divine favor, or more definitely, admission into the Messiah’s kingdom. The result that is attained, is attributed not to the efforts and wishes of man, but to the mercy of God.
Verse 17. The connection of this verse is with the fourteenth, rather than the one immediately preceding. Paul is still engaged in answering the objection proposed in verse fourteen. There is no injustice with God, because He said to Moses, “I will have mercy, etc.” verse 15, and because the Scripture says to Pharaoh, for this purpose, etc. verse 17. His second answer to the objection is, that God in point of fact, does exercise this sovereignty, as is proved by His actions with Pharaoh. Pharaoh was no worse than many other men who have obtained mercy; yet God, for wise and benevolent reasons withheld from him the saving influence of grace, and gave him to the wickedness of his own heart, so that he became more and more hardened, until he was finally destroyed. God did nothing to Pharaoh beyond what he deserved. He did not make him wicked, He only forbore to make him good by by withholding His grace. The reason, therefore, of Pharaoh’s being left to perish, while others were saved, was not that he was worse than others, but because God has mercy on whom He will have mercy.
Another reason why God dealt with Pharaoh in the manner described was because it brought glory to God. This is precisely the principle on which all punishment is inflicted. It is done so that the true character of the divine lawgiver should be made known. The ground on which Pharaoh was made an object of divine justice, or the reason why the law was in his case allowed to take its course, is not to be sought in any peculiarity of his character or conduct in comparison with others, but in the sovereign pleasure of God.
Verse 18. This verse is the conclusion, not merely from the preceding verse, but from the whole passage, (vv 14-17). This perfect sovereignty in the selection of the objects of mercy and of judgment, Paul had attributed to God in verse 11, and in the subsequent verses, had he proved that He claims such authority and exercises it, both in reference to His recipients of His favor, and objects of wrath (v 15). The doctrine, therefore, is fully established.
The last clause, “and he hardens whom he wants to harden,”seems difficult, but this judicial abandonment is not more than what God constantly threatens to do to those who forsake Him.
Verse 19. This is the second leading objection to the apostle’s doctrine. If it be true, as he had just taught, that the destiny of men is in the hands of God, if it is not of him who wills, or of him who runs, but of God, that shows mercy, what can I do? Why does God blame me? It’s not my fault. There would be no room either for this objection, or for that found in verse 14, if Paul had merely said that God chooses those whom He foresees would repent and believe; or that the ground of distinction was in the different conduct of men. But it is very evident that he taught no such doctrine. Teaching as he does the sovereignty of God in the selection of the subject of His grace and of the subjects of His wrath opens the plausible and natural objection, “How does God still blame us?”(NIV) To this objection the apostle give two answers: 1) That it springs from ignorance of the true relation between God and men as Creator and creatures, and of the nature and extent of the divine authority over us (vv 20-21); 2) That there is nothing in his doctrine inconsistent with the divine perfections; since He does not make men wicked, but from the mass of wicked men, He pardons one and punishes another, for the wise and most benevolent reasons (vv22-23).
If God hardens us, why does He blame us for being hard. Gross as this perversion of the apostle’s doctrine is, Paul first rebukes the spirit in which it is made, before he shows it ti be unfounded. It is not the doctrine of the Bible that God makes men wicked, and then punishes them for their wickedness. The Scriptures only assert, what we see and know to be true, that God permits men, in the exercise of their own free agency, to sin, and then punishes them for their sins and in proportion to their guilt
Verse 20. Enough for now, more later.
July 15, 2013
Verse 20. In these words we have a reproof and an answer. The reproof is directed against the irreverent spirit that produces such questions as are found in the preceding verse. After the clear proof that God is sovereign in His word and exercise of His providence, such questions show a great lack of reverence for God. The question set forth in verse 19 presupposes that God is under some obligation to extend grace to all, whereas He is under obligation to none. All are sinners and have forfeited every claim to His mercy, and that is how Paul answers man’s petty question. “Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’ ” Paul is saying that God has a right to do with His own as He pleases.
Verse 21. This verse makes that right even clearer.
Verses 22, 23. These verse contain Paul’s second answer to the difficulty presented in verse 19. In verses20 and 21 he had shown that because of God’s relationship to men as Creator, He had every right to do with them as He pleases. Now he shows that this right is not unreasonable or unjust, and that they have no reason to complain. The punishment to the wicked was not an arbitrary act, having no object but to make them miserable; it is designed to show the displeasure of God against sin, and to make known His true character. On the other hand, the salvation of the righteous is designed to show the riches of His grace. Both in the punishment of the one class and the salvation of the other, most important and benevolent ends are answered. And since for these ends it was necessary that some should be punished, while others might be pardoned, as all are equally undeserving, it results from the nature of the case that the decision between the vessels of wrath and the vessels of mercy are to be left to God.
Verse 23. The grammatical construction is difficult, but probably should be read: “What if God, to manifest His wrath, bears with the wicked, and to make known His mercy, prepares others for glory.” God as the potter prepares some vessels of mercy for glory.
Verse 24. We are the vessels of His mercy, we whom He has called, i. e. , effectually introduced by His Spirit into the kingdom of Christ (Rom. 8:28-30). How naturally does the apostle return to his main subject of discussion! How skillfully is the conclusion brought out at which he has constantly aimed! God chose Isaac in preference to Ishmael, Jacob in preference to Esau; it is a prerogative which He claims and exercises, of selecting from among the guilty family of men, whom He pleases as objects of His mercy, and leaving whom He chooses to perish in their sins, unrestricted in His choice by the descent or previous conduct of the individuals. He has mercy on whom He will have mercy. He calls men, therefore, from among the Gentiles and from among the Jews indiscriminately. This it the conclusion at which the apostle aimed. The Gentiles are admitted into the Messiah’s kingdom, (vv. 25, 26); and the great body of the Jews are excluded, (v. 27). This conclusion he confirms by explicit declaration of Scriptures.
This is the same mystery of which Paul speaks of again in Colossians 1:24-29.
Thank you for the digression through Romans, Grandpa Tom. It was helpful.
God’s mercy seems to be a dominant theme in your last few comments. A verse that comes to mind is Romans 11:32, which says, “For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.” Paul seems to emphasize in Romans that the attitude we should have toward God is one of humility and submission to his sovereignty, whether Jew or Gentile.
In the case of Colossians 1:27, Paul’s emphasis is more on the riches to which the Gentiles now have access. I imagine he emphasizes this because there were certain Jews in Colossae who were trying to deny the Gentile believers’ exalted status in God’s kingdom (exalted in the sense that they are now considered God’s people just as much as Jewish believers). But Paul reminds these believers that they have Christ in them, the hope of glory. They don’t need anything else. I expect this is why Paul says in vs. 28-29,
“Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.”
July 17, 2013 I think that Romans 9:19-33 could be entitled “The Children of Sovereignty.”
I am going to skim through the rest of the verses to get to chapter 11, where we find more information on God’s future for the Jews.
Romans 9:25-33, The conclusion at which the apostle had arrived in the preceding section, was, that God is at liberty to select the objects of His mercy, indiscriminately, from among the Gentiles and the Jews. This conclusion he now confirms by declaration of the Old Testament, according to what is clear, (1) That those were to be included in the kingdom of God, who originally were as aliens, (vv 25, 26); and (2) That, as to the Israelites, only a small portion should attain to the blessings of the Messiah’s reign, and of course, the mere being a Jew by birth was no security of salvation, (vv27-29). The inference from all of this is, that the Gentiles are called, and the Jews, as Jews, are rejected, (vv 30, 31). The reason of this rejection is that they would not submit to the terms of salvation presented in the gospel, (v 23). As it had long before predicted, they rejected their Messiah, taking offense at Him, seeing in Him no form or comeliness that they should desire Him, (v 33).
Romans 10, The object of this chapter, as of the preceding and of the one that follows, is to set forth the truth in reference to the rejection of the Jews as the peculiar of God. The first verses are again, as those of the preceding chapter, introductory and conciliatory, (vv 1-4). The next section contains an exhibition of the terms of salvation, designed to show that they were as accessible to the Gentiles as the Jews, (vv 5-10). The plan of salvation being adapted to all, and God being the God of all, the gospel should be preached to all, (vv 11-17). The truth here taught (The calling of the Gentiles, etc.) was predicted clearly in the Old Testament, (vv 18-21). The chapter could be outlined as follows:
Righteousness – the True and the False (10:1-3
The Righteousness of Faith (10:4-10)
Salvation forAll (10:11-13)
The Word for the World (10:14-17)
God’s Disobedient People (10:18-21)
Romans 11, The chapter consists of two parts, (vv 1-10), and 11-36). In the first the apostle teaches that the rejection of the Jews was not total. There was a remnant, and perhaps a much larger remnant than many might suppose, although the mass of the nation, agreeably to the prediction of the prophets, was cast off, (vv 1-10). In the second section, he shows that this rejection is not final. In the first place, the restoration of the Jews is a desirable and probable event, (vv 11-24). In the second, it is one which God has determined to bring to pass, (vv 25-32). The chapter closes with a sublime declaration of the unsearchable wisdom of God, manifested in all His dealings with men (vv 33-36). In consideration of the great doctrinal truths taught in this chapter, Paul intersperses many practical remarks, designed to give these truths their proper influence both on the Jews and Gentiles, especially the later.
The People of Promise (11:1-10)
Romans 11:1, In effect, Paul begins by asking, “Is it to be inferred from what I have said, that God has rejected His people?” When we consider how many promises are made to the Jewish nation, as God’s peculiar people; and how often it is said, as in Psalm 94:14, “For the Lord will not reject his people; he will never forsake his inheritance,” it is not surprising that the doctrine of the rejection of the Jews, as taught in the preceding chapters, was regarded as inconsistent with the word of God. Paul removes this difficulty, first by showing that the rejection of the Jews was neither total nor final; and secondly, by proving that the promises in question had reference, not to the Jewish nation as such, but to the elect, or spiritual Israel. The promises did not secure the salvation of all Jews, nor does the doctrine which he was now teaching involve the rejection al all Jews. In proof, he adds, “I am an Israelite myself.” In fact, he claimed for himself and for all with him who believed on Christ, a part in the Messiah’s kingdom.
Romans 11:2, “God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew.” This verse admits of two interpretations. (1) The words “His people” may be understood as in the preceding verse, as meaning the Jewish nation, and the clause “which He foreknew.” as, by implication, assigning the reason for the declaration that God had not cast them off. The clause, according to this view, is little more than a repetition of the statement of the preceding verse. “it is not to be inferred from what I have said of the rejection of the Jews, that God has cast away all His chosen people. Multitudes may be found now, as in the days of Elijah (I Kings 19:10). (2) the second interpretation requires more stress be laid on the words “whom he foreknew,” as qualifying and distinguishing the preceding phrase, “his people.” “God has indeed rejected His external people, the Jewish nation as such, but He has not cast His people whom He foreknew.” According to this view “His people” means the elect, or spiritual Israel. This interpretation seems decidedly preferable, (a) Because it is precisely the distinction which Paul has made and made for the same purpose in 9:6-8). The rejection of the external Israel does not invalidate the promises of God, because these promises did not contemplate the natural seed as such, but spiritual Israel. So Paul says, in effect, “When I say that the external Israel is rejected, it does not imply that the true chosen Israel, to whom the promises were made, is cast away. (2) Because this is apparently Paul’s own explanation of this sequel. The mass of the nation were cast away, but “a remnant according to election of grace,” were reserved, (v 5). Israel, as such, Paul says in verse 7, failed of admission to theMessiah’s kingdom, but the election obtained it.
Romans 11:3-6, Here Paul gives a great analogy, the point being that then (in the days of Elijah), as now (in Paul’s day), the defection was apparently entire, yet many unknown of men remained faithful, and escaped the doom visited on the nation as such. This remnant, though small in comparison with the whole nation, was still much greater than appeared to the human eye, so today, Paul says there is a remnant chosen by grace, and if chosen by grace it is not founded on works
Romans 11:7-10, The Jews zealously and perseveringly sought after righteousness. They failed, however, as the apostle says, because they sought it by works, but the elect obtained it. The rest were blinded, that is their hearts became hardened until they were abandoned by God.